Opening Remarks [as delivered] by the UN Resident Coordinator, Sheri Ritsema-Anderson: Human Rights Training for Diplomats

Good morning, everybody. I'm going to speak in English now because, despite having been here for 15 years in the region, my Arabic is still woefully underdeveloped. Thank you very much for joining us this morning.

Your Excellencies, Doctor Khalil, Dr. Maher. It's very much a pleasure to be with you this morning. And I thank you for all coming on a Saturday morning, out of our normal routine. But I appreciate the dedication that you all show to this. And particularly, I would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for bringing us together on this really important dialogue on human rights and your awareness of that as diplomats. 

First, let me also congratulate you, congratulate Jordan at large for the successful engagement on the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva in January, as well as for your efforts to consult with civil society on the UPR, both before and after. These are incredibly important steps, and I [do] congratulate you for the success and the seriousness through which you've done this. 

To set the stage for what I hope to be a very productive day-long discussion [today] on the technical aspects [of the human rights mechanisms], I'd like to give you 3 key thoughts from my side. 

The first is, why is this important? Let's step back for a second to look at the world in which we live and why these things are important. The second is Jordan's role in this, how you specifically are taking this forward and what more you can do. And the third is what the UN will do and can do even more to support you in this. 

So, first, the importance of these mechanisms. Why? Why do we do all of this? And I think we all know, [and] I'm not meaning to underestimate your intelligence [by asking this], but I think it's important to step back and reflect about where we are. Because I think it's actually through the honest self-reflection that States and humans go through, transparent consultation with those that might see the situation differently than how we see it, the acceptance of alternate viewpoints, and then the courage to take bold action and sometimes to change the course of our direction. 

That's when we as humanity move forward. That's when we can actually progress through our universal need to consistently and continuously improve our own behavior. That, at the core, is what the human rights mechanisms do. [They] say none of us as humans are perfect. 

Anywhere in the world, no matter nationality, identity, etcetera, none of us are perfect. And States fundamentally are made up of humans. So through these bold, courageous efforts to stop, self-reflect, listen to others, and then consider whether or not we need to do more of this or less of that, that's how humanity improves. 

And we [can] see, looking at the region today, an extreme example of what happens when you don't do that right. If you look at the carnage that is going on inside of Gaza, the absolutely horrific situation for humanity, there we see what happens when humans - parties with power - do not stop, reflect, listen to others, and consider alternate viewpoints than their own about what they might need to be doing differently. And we see in Gaza a really horrifically catastrophic example of what can go wrong when human rights are not respected, when we're not willing to listen to alternate viewpoints. This is an extreme example, of course, but it's useful to reflect on how this situation has emerged. And in this context, let me also reiterate – for the sake of repetition – that the UN continues to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the full respect of human rights in that context. 

But with that context of Gaza in front of us, if we [then] step back and look at the world as a whole, what we see all around us is a situation where humans globally are suffering from disease, poverty, hunger, environmental decline, hate speech, discrimination, and a whole variety of other problems. 

And what we, as the United Nations, see in this moment of humanity globally is the need to recommit to human rights, that states must come forward and reaffirm their commitment to the core founding ideals of the United Nations, the ideals of the UN Charter, the ideals of the universality of human rights. Later this year, in September, there will actually be a moment for States to come together to do that. There will be a Summit, what we call the Summit of the Future, which is the opportunity for all countries globally to come together and to say, yes, I commit on behalf of my State, we commit to continue upholding the charter of the UN. We still find this [UN Charter] valid. We still find valid the notion that all humans are equal and all humans have human rights. 

And while this might seem self-evident, in fact, I think the world that we see today, it is not self-evident. I think we see so many people so frustrated and disillusioned with the inequalities, that people are starting to question whether or not these tools and these mechanisms are still valid. 

So there's a moment in September where States will be able to come together and be able to recommit to that, and I would really encourage Jordan to take a leading role in this. Jordan has a moral authority. It has a serious consideration for human rights that is an example in the region and beyond. And so Jordan's voice in this moment of humanity can be very strong and very positive, so would encourage you to do that. 

Similar to all of this, in a compliment, the Human Rights Council last Monday, the UN Secretary-General noted that “we need a new commitment for human rights to all human rights, civil, cultural, economic, political, social, as they apply to peace and security, and backed by serious efforts at implementation and accountability.” Because, of course, this is where the problems come, in the implementation and accountability. The Secretary-General also highlighted that “States have the primary responsibility to protect and promote human rights.” So [this is] Jordan’s role as a State. 

Let me shift to point 2, which is what is Jordan doing and what is the way that you can continue to contribute?

In addition to the role that you play as a leading member of the global community in the General Assembly and in New York, it's also very encouraging to see what Jordan is doing domestically because all issues actually come home at the end of the day. For us as the United Nations, it's extremely encouraging to see Jordan setting this positive example in your efforts to do within your country and for your own people what you are also encouraging others to do. It is clear that Jordan is putting forward the serious effort needed to advance human rights within the Kingdom. We see this in Jordan's active engagements with the UN human rights mechanisms, the planned visit of the special rapporteurs on cultural rights and the right to food. Which will be this year and next year, respectively. And with undergoing the review by the Committee Against Torture in November. 

Implementing the human rights recommendations that were addressed to Jordan during the UPR, as well as through these other pathways, are crucial to making changes in the lives of people in Jordan. So the role that you all play [as diplomats] is both as representatives and advocates to the world outside, but as well supporting the advancement of human rights inside Jordan. And this again is where the UPR has been such a critical tool, and again I congratulate you on your strong engagement in this. 

Engagement by many constituencies within Jordan is also really important. We would look to having parliament, human rights institutions, civil society, academia, media, the private sector, all of them have something to contribute to human rights within Jordan,and engaging them in your implementation efforts will also foster buy-in, bring in the relevant expertise that you need to actually implement, and give positive visibility to your efforts. 

My third point is the UN. The UN is many things. Let me just say this really quickly. What is the UN? Is the UN the Security Council? Yes. Is the UN the General Assembly? Yes. Is the UN also me [as an international civil servant]? Yes. So [the UN] is many, many things. Let me speak to the [specific role that] UN agencies that are here in the country play. They are here to journey with you through your process as a State. We are here and ready to provide you even more support than we are providing you today in your journey. We have in the country, 18 different agencies, all of whom have expertise in different files. 

For child rights, you have UNICEF, for women and girls, you have UN Women and UNFPA, for labor rights, you have ILO. There are many different UN agencies. We are here, at your disposal, as a Kingdom, as a Government. We are here to journey with you and to support your efforts, standing behind you. First and foremost, [advancing human rights] is your effort for your people. But do call on us. If you're here in Jordan, call on us. If you're outside Jordan representing the Kingdom of Jordan, always call on the UN wherever you are. We're here to provide you technical expertise advice and support. 

So today's workshop is just a first example of how we can help you, and we really hope that you find this useful and informative. Again, I thank you for your time to come this morning, and we are here with you on every step of the way. 

Thank you.